JRC researchers improve the methodology for the analysis of cross section measurements at a cold neutron beam

In close collaboration with international nuclear research organisations, scientists from the JRC described a method to improve the analysis of cross section measurements at a cold neutron beam. This work is part of the JRC contribution to improve the accuracy of nuclear data, which are important for the development of innovative reactor systems.

An international project – an activity initiated by the Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Co-operation (WPEC), part of the nuclear science programme of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the OECD – investigated systematic effects on cross-section data from reaction rates at a cold neutron beam. It is a pilot project to organize an international collaborative framework to improve the accuracy of evaluated data files by integrating forefront knowledge and experimental techniques. In the pilot project the focus is on the cross sections for capture reactions of 241Am and 237Np. These cross sections are of primary importance for the development of innovative reactor systems aiming at the reduction of nuclear waste.